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Ben Wang in talks to play Iceman in Marvel's X-Men reboot, Deadline reports

Deadline reports that Ben Wang has entered talks to play Iceman in Marvel Studios' X-Men film; Marvel has not commented. /Film treats him as the likely choice but notes he has not signed.

7 outlets · 1L · 6C · 0R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). New coverage since the last version from Den of Geek, Gulf News, The A.V. Club.

Image: /Film
Image: Deadline
Image: The A.V. Club
Image: Screen Rant
Image: Collider
Image: Gulf News
Image: Den of Geek

1 / 7

The story, neutrally told

Centre · 1Ben Wang has entered talks to play Iceman in Marvel Studios' new X-Men movie, Deadline reported on 2 November, citing sources. Centre · 2Marvel's representatives could not be reached for comment, and no deal has been confirmed. Centre · 3Outlets differ on how settled it is: Screen Rant said the actor 'has finally been cast', Collider's headline said he 'officially joins' the film, and The A.V. Club said he 'will play Iceman', while Deadline, Collider's body text and Gulf News describe talks that have not closed.

Centre · 1/Film, relaying Deadline, said Wang is 'circling' the role and, in its own reading, that unless something unexpected happens he appears to be Marvel and Disney's choice. Centre · 2Deadline said that if the deal closes, Wang will join a cast including Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Asa Germann as Angel and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey; much of the cast was announced earlier this year at D23. Centre · 2Jake Schreier is directing from a script by Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo, Kevin Feige is producing, and the film is set for release on 5 May 2028.

Centre · 2Iceman, Bobby Drake, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in The X-Men #1 in 1963, and was played by Shawn Ashmore in the earlier Fox-era X-Men films. Centre · 2Wang's credits include Karate Kid: Legends, The Long Walk, American Born Chinese and the 2024 Mean Girls film, and he plays Wyatt Callow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and appears in the final season of For All Mankind. Centre · 1/Film adds commentary that Marvel appears to be favouring emerging actors over A-listers to save money, calls this Wang's highest-profile role yet, and says there is pressure on Marvel after the 2019 flop Dark Phoenix.

Centre · 3The A.V. Club cited The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit on X as saying Wang beat Gabriel LaBelle, Jackson Kelly and Rhenzy Feliz for the part, and noted that other outlets say Wang is still in talks; Screen Rant and Gulf News also relayed that the three were in the running. Centre · 1Gulf News, citing The Wrap and ComicBookMovie, added that Michael Lesslie is also writing, and that Peter Claffey is reportedly the frontrunner to play Beast, the only one of the five original X-Men not yet cast; this is unconfirmed.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
The A.V. Club treats the casting as effectively done, in a jokey fan tone, sourcing it to a Hollywood Reporter writer's post on X, with a note that others say talks continue.
Emphasis
Fox-era cast returning in Avengers: Doomsday, the run of X-Men casting announcements, and the rivals Wang reportedly beat.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention Marvel's lack of comment.
Charged language
“freezes competition”
For example
“has enrolled in Professor Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters” — The A.V. Club

Centre6 outlets

Framing
Mostly a casting scoop relayed with varying certainty: Deadline and Gulf News stress talks; Screen Rant, Collider and /Film headlines treat the casting as done or near-done.
Emphasis
Wang's credits, the ensemble cast, the 5 May 2028 release; /Film adds Marvel's cost-saving casting and box-office pressure; Gulf News adds the Beast frontrunner and UAE Hunger Games release date.
Leaves out or plays down
No outlet has comment from Marvel or Wang; headlines at Screen Rant and Collider play down that the deal is unclosed.
Charged language
“officially joins”“finally been cast”
For example
“A Hunger Games star star has officially landed the role of Bobby Drake/Iceman” — Collider
“Should the deal make, Wang will join a cast that includes” — Deadline

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

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